Underwater vehicle control system

ABSTRACT

An underwater vehicle control system includes at least one controller configured to receive a control input signal indicative of a target virtual position and/or a target virtual orientation of a target virtual underwater vehicle within a virtual environment. The at least one controller is also configured to output a target virtual underwater vehicle signal to a display indicative of instructions to display a visual representation of the target virtual underwater vehicle at the target virtual position and/or the target virtual orientation within the virtual environment. Furthermore, the at least one controller is configured to output a target physical underwater vehicle signal to an underwater vehicle within a physical environment indicative of instructions to move the underwater vehicle to a target physical position and/or a target physical orientation within the physical environment corresponding to the target virtual position and/or the target virtual orientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/911,457, entitled “Underwater Vehicle Control System”filed Oct. 7, 2019. This application is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an underwater vehicle control system.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the presently describedembodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing thereader with background information to facilitate a better understandingof the various aspects of the present embodiments. Accordingly, itshould be understood that these statements are to be read in this light,and not as admissions of prior art.

In order to meet consumer and industrial demand for natural resources,companies search for and extract oil, natural gas, and othersubterranean resources from the earth. Once a desired subterraneanresource is discovered, drilling and production systems are employed toaccess and extract the resource. These systems may be located onshore oroffshore depending on the location of a desired resource. For example,in subsea operations, hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas areobtained from a subterranean geologic formation, referred to as areservoir, by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearinggeologic formation. The drilling and production systems generallyinclude a wellhead, pumps, underwater conduits, and other equipment thatenable drilling and extraction operations.

The costs associated with drilling, installing, and extracting thesenatural resources may be significant. Accordingly, operators may monitorthe operation of the drilling and production systems to determinewhether the systems are operating effectively and/or complying withregulations. However, utilizing fixed sensors with cable connections toa remote monitoring system to monitor the operation of the drilling andproduction systems may be undesirable due to the harsh sea environmentand the size of the equipment used in the drilling and productionsystems. Accordingly, operators may use underwater vehicles to monitorthese systems and equipment. For example, an underwater vehicle may becontrolled by a surface vessel (e.g., ship, boat, platform, etc.) viaacoustic signals transmitted through the water from the surface vesselto the underwater vehicle. In addition, the underwater vehicle mayoutput sensor data to the surface vessel via acoustic signalstransmitted through the water. Unfortunately, due to the large latencyassociated with transmission of acoustic signals through the water, theunderwater vehicle may be difficult to control from the surface vessel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of certain embodimentswill become better understood when the following detailed description isread with reference to the accompanying drawings in which likecharacters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an underwater vehiclecontrol system that may be used to control an underwater vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a controller and a user interface ofthe underwater vehicle control system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the controller and the user interfaceof FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. Inan effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, allfeatures of an actual implementation may not be described in thespecification. It should be appreciated that in the development of anysuch actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project,numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments, the articles “a,”“an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or moreof the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” areintended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elementsother than the listed elements. Moreover, any use of “top,” “bottom,”“above,” “below,” other directional terms, and variations of these termsis made for convenience, but does not require any particular orientationof the components.

As explained above, the costs associated with subsea drilling andextraction operations may be significant. Accordingly, the subseadrilling and extraction operations may be monitored to determine whetherequipment is operating effectively and/or complying with regulations.However, utilizing fixed sensors with cable connections to a remotemonitoring system to monitor the subsea drilling and extraction systemsand equipment may be undesirable due to the harsh sea environment andthe size of the systems/equipment used in the subsea drilling andextraction operations. Accordingly, underwater vehicles may be used tomonitor the condition and operation of various subsea systems andequipment. Certain underwater vehicles may communicate with a surfacevessel via acoustic signals transmitted through the water. For example,the surface vessel may control operation of the underwater vehicle viathe acoustic signals, and the underwater vehicle may output sensor datato the surface vessel via the acoustic signals. Unfortunately, due tothe large latency associated with transmission of acoustic signalsthrough the water, the underwater vehicle may be difficult to controlfrom the surface vessel. For example, there may be a significant timedelay between instructions sent from the operator in the surface vesseland the corresponding response of the underwater vehicle. The time delaycreates challenges for operating the underwater vehicle, as the operatormay provide instructions faster than the underwater vehicle can receiveand respond to the instructions.

In certain embodiments, an underwater vehicle control system may be usedto control the underwater vehicle. The underwater vehicle control systemincludes a controller having a memory and a processor, and thecontroller is configured to generate a virtual environmentrepresentative of a physical environment in which the underwater vehicleis positioned. In addition, the controller is configured to output avirtual environment signal to a display of a user interface indicativeof instructions to display a visual representation of the virtualenvironment. The controller is also configured to receive a controlinput signal (e.g., from the user interface) indicative of a targetvirtual position and/or a target virtual orientation of a target virtualunderwater vehicle within the virtual environment. Furthermore, thecontroller is configured to output a target virtual underwater vehiclesignal to the display of the user interface indicative of instructionsto display a visual representation of the target virtual underwatervehicle at the target virtual position and/or the target virtualorientation within the virtual environment. The controller is alsoconfigured to output a target physical underwater vehicle signal to theunderwater vehicle (e.g., to the controller of the underwater vehicle)within the physical environment indicative of instructions to move theunderwater vehicle to a target physical position and/or a targetphysical orientation within the physical environment corresponding tothe target virtual position and/or the target virtual orientation withinthe virtual environment. In response to receiving the target physicalunderwater vehicle signal, the controller of the underwater vehicle maycontrol a propulsion system of the underwater vehicle to move theunderwater vehicle to the target physical position and/or the targetphysical orientation. Due to the low latency associated with controllingthe target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtual environment,control of the underwater vehicle may be facilitated (e.g., as comparedto directly controlling the underwater vehicle using a high latencysystem).

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an underwater vehiclecontrol system 10 that may be used to control an underwater vehicle 12(e.g., from a surface vessel 14). In the illustrated embodiment, theunderwater vehicle 10 includes a propulsion system 16 configured tocontrol movement of the underwater vehicle 10 through water 18. Asillustrated, the propulsion system 16 includes a motor 20 and apropeller 22. The motor 20 is configured to drive the propeller 22,thereby driving the underwater vehicle 12 through the water 18. Themotor 20 may include an electric motor, a pneumatic motor, a hydraulicmotor, any other suitable type(s) of motor(s), or a combination thereof.In addition, while the illustrated propulsion system 16 includes asingle motor 20 and a single propeller 22 in the illustrated embodiment,in other embodiments, the propulsion system may include any suitablenumber of motors (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.) and/or propellers(e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.). For example, in certain embodiments,the motor and/or the propeller may be omitted, and the propulsion systemmay include another suitable device/assembly configured to controlmovement of the underwater vehicle through the water. Furthermore, incertain embodiments, the propulsion system may control the orientationof the propeller, the orientation of one or more controllable fins,operation of one or more other propellers, or a combination thereof, tocontrol the direction of movement of the underwater vehicle through thewater.

Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the underwater vehicle 12includes a controller 24 communicatively coupled to the propulsionsystem 16. In certain embodiments, the controller 24 is an electroniccontroller having electrical circuitry configured to control thepropulsion system 16 to move the underwater vehicle 12 through the water18. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 24 includes aprocessor, such as the illustrated microprocessor 26, and a memorydevice 28. The controller 24 may also include one or more storagedevices and/or other suitable components. The processor 26 may be usedto execute software, such as software for controlling the propulsionsystem, and so forth. Moreover, the processor 26 may include multiplemicroprocessors, one or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one ormore special-purpose microprocessors, and/or one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. Forexample, the processor 26 may include one or more reduced instructionset (RISC) processors.

The memory device 28 may include a volatile memory, such as randomaccess memory (RAM), and/or a nonvolatile memory, such as read-onlymemory (ROM). The memory device 28 may store a variety of informationand may be used for various purposes. For example, the memory device 28may store processor-executable instructions (e.g., firmware or software)for the processor 26 to execute, such as instructions for controllingthe propulsion system, and so forth. The storage device(s) (e.g.,nonvolatile storage) may include ROM, flash memory, a hard drive, or anyother suitable optical, magnetic, or solid-state storage medium, or acombination thereof. The storage device(s) may store data, instructions(e.g., software or firmware for controlling the propulsion system,etc.), and any other suitable data.

In the illustrated embodiment, the underwater vehicle 12 includes acamera 30 and a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system 32communicatively coupled to the controller 24. The camera 30 isconfigured to output a physical image signal indicative of an image ofthe physical environment. As illustrated, the camera 30 is directedtoward a subsea structure 34, such as production pipe(s), subseawellhead(s), riser(s), pumping equipment, other suitable subseastructure(s) and/or undersea equipment, or a combination thereof.Accordingly, the camera is configured to output a physical image signalindicative of an image of the subsea structure 34 within the physicalenvironment. However, the camera may also be directed to other elementswithin the physical environment, such as the seafloor, the surfacevessel, another underwater or surface vehicle, another suitable element,or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the underwater vehicleincludes an actuator coupled to the camera and communicatively coupledto the controller. In such embodiments, the controller may control theactuator to direct the camera to any suitable portion of the physicalenvironment.

In addition, the LIDAR system 32 is configured to scan the physicalenvironment (e.g., the subsea structure, the surface vessel, theseafloor, etc.) with one or more lasers and to output a LIDAR signal(e.g., physical image signal) indicative of a three-dimensional model ofa portion of the physical environment. For example, the LIDAR signal maybe indicative of a point cloud of points on the surface of the subseastructure 34. The controller 24 may generate a three-dimensional modelof the subsea structure based on the LIDAR signal. In addition, theLIDAR system and/or the camera may enable mapping of the seafloor and/orother underwater equipment, searching for various undersea structures,and navigation of the underwater vehicle (e.g., by identifying objectsin the path of the underwater vehicle, etc.), among other functions.While the underwater vehicle 12 includes a single camera 30 and a singleLIDAR system 32 in the illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments, theunderwater vehicle may include more or fewer cameras (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, or more) and/or more or fewer LIDAR systems (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, or more). Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the underwatervehicle may include other and/or additional sensor(s) communicativelycoupled to the controller (e.g., temperature sensor(s), pressuresensor(s), magnetic sensor(s), ultrasonic sensor(s), acoustic sensor(s),etc.).

In the illustrated embodiment, the underwater vehicle 12 includes acommunication system 36 communicatively coupled to the controller 24.The communication system 36 is configured to establish communicationbetween the controller 24 and the controller of another suitable system,such as the controller 38 (e.g., remote controller) of the surfacevessel 14. The communication system 36 includes one or more transmitters40 configured to output communication signal(s) and one or morereceivers 42 configured to receive communication signal(s). However, inother embodiments, the communication system may include one or moretransceivers configured to both output and receive communicationsignal(s). In the illustrated embodiment, the transmitter(s) 40 areconfigured to output acoustic communication signal(s) through the water18, and the receiver(s) 42 are configured to receive acousticcommunication signal(s) via the water 18. For example, the communicationsystem 36 may include one or more acoustic modems. While thecommunication system 36 is configured to communicate via acousticcommunication signal(s) in the illustrated embodiment, in otherembodiments, the communication system may be configured to communicatevia any other suitable communication signal(s), such as wireless radiofrequency communication signal(s), wired radio frequency communicationsignal(s), optical communication signal(s) (e.g., via fiber opticcable(s)), or any other suitable communication signal(s) or combinationof suitable communication signal(s).

In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 24 of the underwatervehicle 12 is configured to communicate with the controller 38 of thesurface vessel 40 (e.g., boat, ship, platform, etc.) via thecommunication system 36 of the underwater vehicle 10 and a correspondingcommunication system 44 of the surface vessel 14. The communicationsystem 44 of the surface vessel 14 includes one or more transmitters 46configured to output communication signal(s) and one or more receivers48 configured to receive communication signal(s). However, in otherembodiments, the communication system may include one or moretransceivers configured to both output and receive communicationsignal(s). In the illustrated embodiment, the transmitter(s) 46 areconfigured to output acoustic communication signal(s) through the water18, and the receiver(s) 48 are configured to receive acousticcommunication signal(s) via the water 18. For example, the communicationsystem 44 may include one or more acoustic modems. While thecommunication system 44 is configured to communicate via acousticcommunication signal(s) in the illustrated embodiment, in otherembodiments, the communication system may be configured to communicatevia any other suitable communication signal(s), such as wireless radiofrequency communication signal(s), wired radio frequency communicationsignal(s), optical communication signal(s) (e.g., via fiber opticcable(s)), or any other suitable communication signal(s) or combinationof suitable communication signal(s). Furthermore, while thecommunication systems of the underwater vehicle and the surface vesselare configured to communicate with one another in the illustratedembodiment, in other embodiments, at least one of the communicationsystems may be configured to communicate with other suitablecommunication system(s), such as the communication system of anothersurface vessel, the communication system of another underwater vehicle,the communication system of a remote control center, other suitablecommunication system(s), or a combination thereof.

As illustrated, the communication system 44 of the surface vessel 14 iscommunicatively coupled to the controller 38 of the surface vessel 14.Accordingly, the controller 38 of the surface vessel 14 may communicatewith the controller 24 of the underwater vehicle 10 via the respectivecommunication systems. In certain embodiments, the controller 38 of thesurface vessel 14 is an electronic controller having electricalcircuitry configured to provide instructions to the underwater vehiclecontroller 24 and/or to receive data from the underwater vehiclecontroller 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 38 includesa processor, such as the illustrated microprocessor 50, and a memorydevice 52. The controller 38 may also include one or more storagedevices and/or other suitable components. The processor 50 may be usedto execute software, such as software for providing instructions toand/or receiving data from the underwater vehicle controller, and soforth. Moreover, the processor 50 may include multiple microprocessors,one or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one or morespecial-purpose microprocessors, and/or one or more application specificintegrated circuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. For example,the processor 50 may include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC)processors.

The memory device 52 may include a volatile memory, such as randomaccess memory (RAM), and/or a nonvolatile memory, such as read-onlymemory (ROM). The memory device 52 may store a variety of informationand may be used for various purposes. For example, the memory device 52may store processor-executable instructions (e.g., firmware or software)for the processor 50 to execute, such as instructions for providinginstructions to and/or receiving data from the underwater vehiclecontroller 24, and so forth. The storage device(s) (e.g., nonvolatilestorage) may include ROM, flash memory, a hard drive, or any othersuitable optical, magnetic, or solid-state storage medium, or acombination thereof. The storage device(s) may store data, instructions(e.g., software or firmware for providing instructions to and/orreceiving data from the underwater vehicle controller 24, etc.), and anyother suitable data.

In the illustrated embodiment, the surface vessel 14 includes a userinterface 54 communicatively coupled to the controller 38. The userinterface 54 may include one or more suitable controls configured toprovide input to the surface vessel controller 38. In addition, the userinterface 54 may include one or more suitable interfaces configured topresent information to an operator of the surface vessel 14. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the user interface 54 includes adisplay 56 configured to present visual information to the surfacevessel operator. In addition, in certain embodiments, the display 56 mayinclude a touch screen interface configured to receive input from thesurface vessel operator. By way of example, the surface vessel operatormay provide instructions to the underwater vehicle 12 (e.g., to controlthe position and/or orientation of the underwater vehicle, etc.) via theuser interface 54, and the instructions may be output to the underwatervehicle controller 24 via the surface vessel controller 38, the surfacevessel communication system 44, and the underwater vehicle communicationsystem 36. In addition, in certain embodiments, the camera 30 and/or theLIDAR system 32 may output data (e.g., LIDAR data, image data, etc.) tothe surface vessel controller 38 via the underwater vehicle controller24, the underwater vehicle communication system 36, and the surfacevessel communication system 44. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, theunderwater vehicle controller may receive instructions from and/oroutput data to any other suitable controller (e.g., of a remotefacility, etc.).

In the illustrated embodiment, the surface vessel 14 includes a sensor58 communicatively coupled to the controller 38. The sensor 58 mayinclude any suitable device or combination of devices configured tomonitor the position and/or the orientation of the underwater vehicle12. For example, in certain embodiments, the sensor 58 may include anactive sonar sensor configured to use acoustic waves to facilitatedetermination of the position and/or the orientation of the underwatervehicle 12. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the sensor 58 mayinclude a LIDAR system configured to use light beam(s) to facilitatedetermination of the position and/or the orientation of the underwatervehicle 12. In addition, in certain embodiments, the surface vessel 14may include other and/or additional sensor(s) configured to monitor anysuitable parameter(s) (e.g., water temperature sensor(s), water depthsensor(s), position sensor(s), etc.).

In the illustrated embodiment, the surface vessel 14 includes a crane 60configured to enable deployment and retrieval of the underwater vehicle12. For example, the surface vessel 14 may transport the underwatervehicle 12 to a deployment site and then deploy the underwater vehicle12 via the crane 60. The deployment site may include a subsea structure34 configured to transport and/or store hydrocarbons. For example, thedeployment site may include a variety of oil and gas infrastructure,such as production pipe(s), subsea wellhead(s), riser(s), pumpingequipment, other suitable subsea structure(s) and/or undersea equipment,or a combination thereof. At the deployment site, the underwater vehicle12 may perform maintenance operations, inspection operations, mappingoperations, research operations, other suitable operations, or acombination thereof. For example, in certain embodiments, the underwatervehicle 10 may use the camera 30 and/or the LIDAR system 32 tofacilitate performance of certain operation(s).

In certain embodiments, the surface vessel controller 38 may generate avirtual environment representative of the physical environment in whichthe underwater vehicle 12 is positioned. The controller 38 may generatethe virtual environment based on stored sensor data (e.g., from LIDARsensor(s), from sonar sensor(s), from camera(s), etc.), model(s) ofsubsea structure(s) (e.g., computer-aided design (CAD) model(s), etc.),sensor data from the sensor 58 of the surface vessel 14, data from theunderwater vehicle camera 30, data from the underwater vehicle LIDARsystem 32, other suitable source(s) of data, or a combination thereof.For example, in certain embodiments, the controller 38 may generate aninitial virtual environment based on stored sensor data and/or model(s)of the subsea structure(s), and then the controller 38 may generate thevirtual environment by updating the initial virtual environment based onsensor data from the surface vessel and/or the underwater vehicle. Oncethe virtual environment is generated, the controller 38 may output avirtual environment signal to the display 56 of the user interface 54indicative of instructions to display a visual representation of thevirtual environment. In response to receiving the virtual environmentsignal, the display may present the visual representation of the virtualenvironment. In certain embodiments, the visual representation of thevirtual environment includes a three-dimensional visual representationof the virtual environment including a three-dimensional visualrepresentation of the seafloor, a three-dimensional visualrepresentation of the subsea structure, a three-dimensional visualrepresentation of other element(s) within the physical environment, or acombination thereof. While a three-dimensional visual representation ofthe virtual environment is disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, thevisual representation of the virtual environment may be two-dimensional.Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the visual representation of thevirtual environment may be stereoscopic (e.g., in embodiments in whichthe user interface includes a stereoscopic display).

In addition, the controller 38 may receive a control input signalindicative of a target virtual position and/or a target virtualorientation of a target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtualenvironment, and the controller may output a target virtual underwatervehicle signal to the display 56 of the user interface 54 indicative ofinstructions to display a visual representation of the target virtualunderwater vehicle at the target virtual position and/or the targetvirtual orientation within the virtual environment. In response toreceiving the target virtual underwater vehicle signal from thecontroller 38, the display may present the visual representation of thetarget virtual underwater vehicle at the target virtual position and/orthe target virtual orientation within the virtual environment. Incertain embodiments, the user interface 54 may be configured to outputthe control input signal based on input from the operator, and thecontroller 38 may receive the control signal input from the userinterface 54. For example, the user interface may include a first handcontroller configured to receive a position input from the operator, andthe user interface may include a second hand controller configured toreceive an orientation input from the operator. As the operator movesthe first hand controller, the user interface 54 may output the controlinput signal to the controller 38 indicative of the target virtualposition of the target virtual underwater vehicle, and the controller38, in turn, may output the target virtual underwater vehicle signal tothe display 56 of the user interface 54 indicative of instructions todisplay the visual representation of the target virtual underwatervehicle at the target virtual position. Accordingly, as the operatormoves the first hand controller, the visual representation of the targetvirtual underwater vehicle may move in real-time or near real-timewithin the virtual environment. In addition, as the operator moves thesecond hand controller, the user interface 54 may output the controlinput signal to the controller 38 indicative of the target virtualorientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle, and the controller38, in turn, may output the target virtual underwater vehicle signal tothe display 56 of the user interface 54 indicative of instructions todisplay the visual representation of the target virtual underwatervehicle at the target virtual orientation. Accordingly, as the operatormoves the second hand controller, the visual representation of thetarget virtual underwater vehicle may move in real-time or nearreal-time within the virtual environment. Using the first handcontroller and the second hand controller, the operator may position thetarget virtual underwater vehicle at any suitable location within thevirtual environment and angle the target virtual underwater vehicle atany suitable orientation.

While two hand controllers of the user interface are disclosed above,the user interface may include other and/or additional controls tocontrol the target virtual position and/or the target virtualorientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle. For example, incertain embodiments, the user interface may include a single handcontroller configured to control one of the target virtual position orthe target virtual orientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle.Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the user interface may include asingle hand controller configured to control both the target virtualposition and the target virtual orientation of the target virtualunderwater vehicle. In certain embodiments, a touch screen interface ofthe display, a keyboard, a mouse, one or more buttons, one or more handcontrollers (e.g., one or more of the hand controllers disclosed above),other suitable control(s), or a combination thereof, may be used tocontrol the target virtual position and/or the target virtualorientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle.

Furthermore, the controller 38 may output a target physical underwatervehicle signal to the underwater vehicle 12 (e.g., to the controller 24of the underwater vehicle 12 via the respective communication systems)indicative of instructions to move the underwater vehicle 12 to a targetphysical position and/or a target physical orientation within thephysical environment corresponding to the target virtual position and/orthe target virtual orientation of the target virtual underwater vehiclewithin the virtual environment. For example, in certain embodiments, thecontroller 38 may automatically output the target physical underwatervehicle signal in response to receiving the control input signal fromthe user interface 54. In such embodiments, the controller 38 may outputthe target physical underwater vehicle signal multiple times in responseto continued operator input. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, theuser interface 54 may be configured to output an engagement signal inresponse to operator input (e.g., activation of an engagement control),and the controller may be configured to output the target physicalunderwater vehicle signal only in response to receiving the engagementsignal. Accordingly, in such embodiments, the controller 38 may onlyoutput a single target physical underwater vehicle signal in response tothe operator activating the engagement control, even if the operatorprovides multiple target virtual underwater vehicle control inputs tothe user interface before activating the engagement control. Theengagement control of the user interface 54 may include a button, aswitch, a lever, a virtual button on the display, another suitablecontrol, or a combination thereof.

In certain embodiments (e.g., embodiments including the engagementcontrol), the operator may direct the target virtual underwater vehiclefrom a current virtual position and a current virtual orientation (e.g.,corresponding to a current physical position and a current physicalorientation of the underwater vehicle within the physical environment)to the target virtual position and the target virtual orientation usingconventional controls for directly controlling the underwater vehicle.For example, the controller may utilize a simulation to simulatemovement of the virtual underwater vehicle from the current virtualposition and the current virtual orientation to the target virtualposition and the target virtual orientation. The simulation may utilizethe same guidance and/or control process executed by the underwatervehicle to enhance the accuracy of the movement/rotation of the targetvirtual underwater vehicle within the virtual environment. For example,the operator may utilize controls of the user interface to provide aspeed input and a rotation rate input to the controller. The simulationexecuted by the controller may move/rotate the target virtual underwatervehicle through the virtual environment, and the controller mayperiodically output the target virtual underwater vehicle signal to thedisplay to enable the operator to view the movement/rotation of thetarget virtual underwater vehicle. Once the target virtual underwatervehicle is in a desired position and/or orientation, the operator mayactivate the engagement control to cause the controller to output thetarget physical underwater vehicle signal.

The controller 24 of the underwater vehicle 12 is configured to receivethe target physical underwater vehicle signal from the controller 38 ofthe surface vessel 14 via the respective communication systems. Inresponse to receiving the target physical underwater vehicle signal, theunderwater vehicle controller 24 is configured to output a controlsignal to the propulsion system 16 indicative of instructions to movethe underwater vehicle from a current physical position and a currentphysical orientation to the target physical position and/or the targetphysical orientation. For example, the underwater vehicle controller 24may compare the current physical position to the target physicalposition, and/or the underwater vehicle controller 24 may compare thecurrent physical orientation to the target physical orientation. Theunderwater vehicle controller 24 may then establish a strategy formoving from the current physical position to the target physicalposition and/or for moving from the current physical orientation to thetarget physical orientation based on the comparison. Once the strategyis established, the underwater vehicle controller may output the controlsignal to the propulsion system based on the strategy. In certainembodiments, the strategy is determined based on a guidance and controlprocess (e.g., in which the underwater vehicle controller 24 utilizes asimulation to determine the strategy based on physical properties of theunderwater vehicle and expected performance of the propulsion system).In certain embodiments, the underwater vehicle controller 24 may onlyoutput the control signal if the difference between the current physicalposition and the target physical position is greater than a positionthreshold value (e.g., 5 meters, 3 meters, 100 cm, 50 cm, 25 cm, 10 cm,5 cm, or 1 cm, etc.), and/or if the difference between the currentphysical orientation and the target physical orientation is greater thanan orientation threshold value (e.g., 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 7 degrees,5 degrees, 2 degrees, 1 degree, 0.5 degrees, 0.25 degrees, etc.). Whilethe underwater vehicle controller 24 is configured to output the controlsignal to the propulsion system 16 in the illustrated embodiment, inother embodiments, another suitable controller (e.g., the surface vesselcontroller) may output the control signal.

The current physical position and/or the current physical orientation ofthe underwater vehicle 12 may be determine based on feedback fromsensor(s) of the surface vessel 14, sensor(s) of the underwater vehicle,other suitable sensor(s), or a combination thereof. As previouslydiscussed, the sensor 58 of the surface vessel 14 is configured tomonitor the current physical position and/or the current physicalorientation of the underwater vehicle 12 within the physicalenvironment. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the surface vesselcontroller 38 may determine the current physical position and/or thecurrent physical orientation of the underwater vehicle 12 based onfeedback from the sensor 58 and output a current physical underwatervehicle signal indicative of the current physical position and/or thecurrent physical orientation of the underwater vehicle 12 to theunderwater vehicle controller. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, theunderwater vehicle controller 24 may determine the current physicalposition and/or the current physical orientation of the underwatervehicle 12 based on feedback from the camera 30, the LIDAR system 32,other suitable sensor(s) (e.g., one or more inertial measurement units(IMU), one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or moregeomagnetic sensors, one or more position sensors, such as globalpositioning system (GPS) sensor(s), etc.), or a combination thereof. Theunderwater vehicle controller 24 may then output the current physicalunderwater vehicle signal indicative of the current physical positionand/or the current physical orientation of the underwater vehicle 12 tothe surface vessel controller 38. In certain embodiments, the underwatervehicle controller 24 may determine the current physical position and/orthe current physical orientation of the underwater vehicle 12 based onfeedback from the underwater vehicle sensor(s) (e.g., the camera 30, theLIDAR system 32, etc.) and feedback from the surface vessel sensor 58,which may be received via the surface vessel controller and therespective communication systems. Furthermore, in certain embodiments,the surface vessel controller 38 may determine the current physicalposition and/or the current physical orientation of the underwatervehicle 12 based on feedback from the surface vessel sensor 58 andfeedback from the underwater vehicle sensor(s) (e.g., the camera 30, theLIDAR system 32, etc.), which may be received via the underwater vehiclecontroller and the respective communication systems. The surface vesselcontroller 38 may then output the current physical underwater vehiclesignal indicative of the current physical position and/or the currentphysical orientation of the underwater vehicle 12 to the underwatervehicle controller via the respective communication systems.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the controller 38 (e.g., surface vesselcontroller) and the user interface 54 (e.g., surface vessel userinterface) of the underwater vehicle control system 10 of FIG. 1. Aspreviously discussed, the controller 38 may generate a virtualenvironment representative of the physical environment in which theunderwater vehicle is positioned. The controller 38 may then output avirtual environment signal to the display 56 of the user interface 54indicative of instructions to display a visual representation 62 of thevirtual environment. In response to receiving the virtual environmentsignal, the display 56 may present the visual representation 62 of thevirtual environment. In the illustrated embodiment, the visualrepresentation 62 of the virtual environment includes athree-dimensional visual representation 62 of the virtual environmentincluding a three-dimensional visual representation 64 of the seafloor.In addition, the controller 38 may receive a control input signalindicative of a target virtual position and/or a target virtualorientation of a target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtualenvironment, and the controller may output a target virtual underwatervehicle signal to the display 56 of the user interface 54 indicative ofinstructions to display a visual representation 66 of the target virtualunderwater vehicle at the target virtual position and/or the targetvirtual orientation within the virtual environment. In response toreceiving the target virtual underwater vehicle signal from thecontroller 38, the display 56 may present the visual representation 66of the target virtual underwater vehicle at the target virtual positionand/or the target virtual orientation within the virtual environment. Incertain embodiments, the user interface 54 may be configured to outputthe control input signal based on input from the operator, and thecontroller 38 may receive the control input signal from the userinterface 54. For example, the user interface 54 may include controls 68(e.g., including a keyboard, a mouse, one or more buttons, one or morehand controllers, other suitable control(s), or a combination thereof)configured to enable the operator to provide input to the user interface54. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the display 56 may include atouch screen interface configured to receive input from the operator.

In the illustrated embodiment, the virtual position (e.g., the targetvirtual position and the current virtual position) is represented withina rectangular coordinate system having a longitudinal axis 72, a lateralaxis 74, and a vertical axis 76. The rectangular coordinate system isfixed relative to the virtual environment. While the virtual position isrepresented within a rectangular coordinate system in the illustratedembodiment, in other embodiments, the virtual position may berepresented within a cylindrical coordinate system or a sphericalcoordinate system, among other suitable coordinate systems. Furthermore,in the illustrated embodiment, the virtual orientation (e.g., the targetvirtual orientation and the current virtual orientation) is representedas yaw 78 about the vertical axis 76, pitch 80 about the lateral axis74, and roll 82 about the longitudinal axis 72. However, in otherembodiments, the virtual orientation may be represented as a quaternionor any other suitable representation.

Furthermore, the controller 38 may output a target physical underwatervehicle signal to the underwater vehicle (e.g., to the controller of theunderwater vehicle via the respective communication systems) indicativeof instructions to move the underwater vehicle to a target physicalposition and/or a target physical orientation within the physicalenvironment corresponding to the target virtual position and/or thetarget virtual orientation of the target virtual underwater vehiclewithin the virtual environment. For example, in certain embodiments, thecontroller 38 may automatically output the target physical underwatervehicle signal in response to receiving the control input signal fromthe user interface 54. In such embodiments, the controller 38 may outputthe target physical underwater vehicle signal multiple times in responseto continued operator input. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, theuser interface 54 may be configured to output an engagement signal inresponse to operator input (e.g., activation of an engagement control70), and the controller may be configured to output the target physicalunderwater vehicle signal only in response to receiving the engagementsignal. Accordingly, in such embodiments, the controller 38 may onlyoutput a single target physical underwater vehicle signal in response tothe operator activating the engagement control, even if the operatorprovides multiple target virtual underwater vehicle control inputs tothe user interface before activating the engagement control. Theengagement control 70 of the user interface 54 may include a button, aswitch, a lever, a virtual button on the display, another suitablecontrol, or a combination thereof. The controller of the underwatervehicle is configured to receive the target physical underwater vehiclesignal from the controller 38 via the respective communication systems.In response to receiving the target physical underwater vehicle signal,the underwater vehicle controller is configured to output a controlsignal to the propulsion system indicative of instructions to move theunderwater vehicle from a current physical position and a currentphysical orientation to the target physical position and/or the targetphysical orientation. Due to the low latency associated with controllingthe target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtual environment,control of the underwater vehicle may be facilitated (e.g., as comparedto directly controlling the underwater vehicle using a high latencysystem).

In the illustrated embodiments, the controller 38 is configured tooutput a current virtual underwater vehicle signal to the display 56 ofthe user interface 54 indicative of instructions to display a visualrepresentation 84 of a current virtual underwater vehicle at a currentvirtual position and/or a current virtual orientation within the virtualenvironment corresponding to the current physical position and/or thecurrent physical orientation of the underwater vehicle within thephysical environment. In response to receiving the current virtualunderwater vehicle signal from the controller 38, the display 56 maydisplay the visual representation 84 of the current virtual underwatervehicle at the current virtual position and/or the current virtualorientation with the virtual environment. Displaying the visualrepresentation of the current virtual underwater vehicle at the currentvirtual position and/or the current virtual orientation enables theoperator to view the progress of the underwater vehicle toward thetarget position/orientation. For example, the controller 38 may outputthe current virtual underwater vehicle signal at periodic intervals(e.g., based on a fixed timing, based on the sample rate of thesensor(s), etc.). In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 38 mayinstruct the display 56 of the user interface 54 to display the visualrepresentation 66 of the target virtual underwater vehicle inphantom/dashed lines, and the controller 38 may instruct the display 56of the user interface 54 to display the visual representation 84 of thecurrent virtual underwater vehicle in solid lines. However, in otherembodiments, the controller may instruct the display to display thevisual representation of the target virtual underwater vehicle in anysuitable line pattern and/or color, and the controller may instruct thedisplay to display the visual representation of the current virtualunderwater vehicle is any suitable line pattern and/or color (e.g., todifferentiate the target virtual underwater vehicle from the currentvirtual underwater vehicle). While the controller 38 is configured tooutput the current virtual underwater vehicle signal to the display 56of the user interface 54 in the illustrated embodiment, in otherembodiments, the current virtual underwater vehicle signal may not beoutput to the display. In such embodiments, the display may not displaythe visual representation of the current virtual underwater vehicle.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the controller 38 may determinewhether the current physical position of the underwater vehicle issubstantially equal to the target physical position of the underwatervehicle, and/or the controller 38 may determine whether the currentphysical orientation of the underwater vehicle is substantially equal tothe target physical orientation of the underwater vehicle. In responseto the current physical position being substantially equal to the targetphysical position and/or the current physical orientation beingsubstantially equal to the target physical orientation, the controller38 may output a position match signal to the user interface 54indicative of instructions to provide an indication that the currentphysical position is substantially equal to the target physical positionand/or the current physical orientation is substantially equal to thetarget physical orientation. In response to receiving the position matchsignal, the user interface 54 may provide an indication that the currentphysical position is substantially equal to the target physical positionand/or the current physical orientation is substantially equal to thetarget physical orientation. For example, the user interface 54 may emitan audible (e.g., via a speaker 86 of the user interface 54) and/orvisual indication (e.g., via the display 56). For example, thecontroller 38 may instruct the target virtual underwater vehicle and/orthe current virtual underwater vehicle (e.g., which are overlapping oneanother) to flash and/or change color to indicate that the currentphysical position is substantially equal to the target physical positionand/or the current physical orientation is substantially equal to thetarget physical orientation. While the controller 38 is configured tooutput the position match signal in the illustrated embodiment, in otherembodiments, the controller may not output the position match signal. Asused herein “substantially equal” refers to a difference inposition/orientation of less than a threshold value. For example, thethreshold value for a position difference may be 5 meters, 3 meters, 100cm, 50 cm, 25 cm, 10 cm, 5 cm, or 1 cm. In addition, the threshold valuefor an orientation difference may be 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 7 degrees,5 degrees, 2 degrees, 1 degree, 0.5 degrees, or 0.25 degrees.

In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 38 is configured todetermine a field of view of one or more sensors of the underwatervehicle relative to the target virtual underwater vehicle. For example,the controller 38 may determine a field of view of the LIDAR systemand/or a field of view of the camera relative to the target virtualunderwater vehicle. Once each field of view is determined, thecontroller 38 may output a target field of view signal to the display 56indicative of instructions to display a visual representation 88 of eachfield of view relative to the target virtual underwater vehicle. Inresponse to receiving the target field of view signal, the display 56may display the visual representation 88 of each field of view. In theillustrated embodiment, the controller 38 determines a field of view ofthe camera, and the display 56 displays the visual representation 88 ofthe field of view of the camera relative to the target virtualunderwater vehicle. Accordingly, the operator may control the targetvirtual position and/or the target virtual orientation of the targetvirtual underwater vehicle such that an object of interested ispositioned within the field of view. While the controller is configuredto output the target field of view signal in the illustrated embodiment,in other embodiments, the controller may not output the target field ofview signal.

In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 38 is configured togenerate a target virtual image 90 based on the target virtual positionof the target virtual underwater vehicle, the target virtual orientationof the target virtual underwater vehicle, and the virtual environment.In addition, the controller 38 is configured to output a target virtualimage signal to the display 56 of the user interface 54 indicative ofinstructions to display the target virtual image 90. In response toreceiving the target virtual image signal, the display 56 may displaythe target virtual image 90. The target virtual image is indicative ofan expected image of the virtual environment from a respective sensorwhile the target virtual underwater vehicle is in the target virtualposition and the target virtual orientation. The respective sensor mayinclude the LIDAR system, the camera, or another suitable sensor. Theoperator may control the target virtual position and/or the targetvirtual orientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle such thatan object of interested is shown within the target virtual image. Whilethe controller is configured to generate one target virtual image in theillustrated embodiment, in other embodiments, the controller may beconfigured to generate more or fewer target virtual images (e.g., 0, 1,2, 3, 4, or more), and the display may be configured to display acorresponding number of target virtual images.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the controller 38 (e.g., surface vesselcontroller) and the user interface 54 (e.g., surface vessel userinterface) of FIG. 2. As illustrated, the visual representation 84 ofthe current virtual underwater vehicle is shown, and the visualrepresentation of the target virtual underwater vehicle is not shownbecause the current virtual position is substantially equal to thetarget virtual position and the current virtual orientation issubstantially equal to the target virtual orientation (e.g., due to thecurrent physical position being substantially equal to the targetphysical position and the current physical orientation betweensubstantially equal to the target physical orientation). In theillustrated embodiment, the controller 38 is configured to determine afield of view of one or more sensors of the underwater vehicle relativeto the current virtual underwater vehicle. For example, the controller38 may determine a field of view of the LIDAR system and/or a field ofview of the camera relative to the current virtual underwater vehicle.Once each field of view is determined, the controller 38 may output acurrent field of view signal to the display 56 indicative ofinstructions to display a visual representation 92 of each field of viewrelative to the current virtual underwater vehicle. In response toreceiving the current field of view signal, the display 56 may displaythe visual representation 92 of each field of view. In the illustratedembodiment, the controller 38 determines a field of view of the camera,and the display 56 displays the visual representation 92 of the field ofview of the camera relative to the current virtual underwater vehicle.While the controller is configured to output the current field of viewsignal in the illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments, thecontroller may not output the current field of view signal.

In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 38 may receive a physicalimage signal from the underwater vehicle indicative of an image of thephysical environment. In addition, the controller 38 may output avirtual image signal to the display 56 of the user interface 54indicative of instructions to display the image 94 of the physicalenvironment. In response to receiving the virtual image signal, thedisplay 56 may display the image 94. The controller 38 may generate theimage 94 based on feedback (e.g., which may be contained within thephysical image signal) from a respective sensor of the underwatervehicle. The respective sensor may include the LIDAR system, the camera,or another suitable sensor (e.g., a radio detection and ranging (RADAR)system, a sonar system, an infrared camera system, etc.). While thecontroller is configured to instruct the display to display one image inthe illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments, the controller may beconfigured to instruct the display to display more or fewer images(e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or more), and the display may be configured todisplay a corresponding number of images. In certain embodiments, thecontroller 38 is configured to output the virtual image signal only inresponse to the underwater vehicle being positioned substantially at thetarget physical position and/or being oriented substantially at thetarget physical orientation. However, in other embodiments, thecontroller may receive the physical image signal at periodic intervalsand output the virtual image signal at corresponding intervals. As usedherein “substantially at” refers to a difference in position/orientationof less than a threshold value. For example, the threshold value for aposition difference may be 5 meters, 3 meters, 100 cm, 50 cm, 25 cm, 10cm, 5 cm, or 1 cm. In addition, the threshold value for an orientationdifference may be 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 7 degrees, 5 degrees, 2degrees, 1 degree, 0.5 degrees, or 0.25 degrees.

In certain embodiments, the operator may use the image 94 to verify thatthe underwater vehicle is located at a desired position and/or angled ata desired orientation. For example, in certain embodiments, thecontroller may instruct the display to present the image 94 and thetarget virtual image concurrently (e.g., adjacent to one another). Insuch embodiments, the operator may compare the images to determinewhether the underwater vehicle is located at the desired position and/orangled at the desired orientation. Furthermore, in certain embodiments,the controller 38 may determine whether the underwater vehicle ispositioned substantially at the target physical position and/or whetherthe underwater vehicle is orientated substantially at the targetphysical orientation based on the image of the physical environment(e.g., by comparing the image of the physical environment to the targetvirtual image). In addition, the controller 38 may output a positionverification signal to the user interface indicative of instructions toprovide an indication that the underwater vehicle is positionedsubstantially at the target physical position and/or that the underwatervehicle is orientated substantially at the target physical orientation.In response to receiving the position verification signal, the userinterface 54 may emit an audible (e.g., via the speaker 86) and/orvisual indication (e.g., via the display 56).

While controlling the underwater vehicle by controlling the targetvirtual underwater vehicle is disclosed herein, in certain embodiments,the underwater vehicle control system may also be configured to directlycontrol the underwater vehicle (e.g., via engagement of a direct controlmode of operation). In the embodiments disclosed above, a singlecontroller (e.g., the surface vessel controller) is used to performcertain functions disclosed herein, including but not limited togenerating the virtual environment, outputting the virtual environmentsignal, receiving the control input signal, outputting the targetvirtual underwater vehicle signal, outputting the target physicalunderwater vehicle signal, outputting the current virtual underwatervehicle signal, determining whether the current physical position issubstantially equal to the target physical position, determining whetherthe current physical orientation is substantially equal to the targetphysical orientation, outputting the position match signal, receivingthe physical image signal, and outputting the virtual image signal.However, in other embodiments, these functions, among others, may beperformed by another suitable controller (e.g., the underwater vehiclecontroller, etc.) or a combination of controllers (e.g., the underwatervehicle controller and the surface vessel controller, etc.).Furthermore, while the vehicle control system is disclosed herein withregard to controlling underwater vehicles, the control system may beused to control other suitable types of vehicles.

While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein,many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art.It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intendedto cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the truespirit of the disclosure.

The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and appliedto material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature thatdemonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are notabstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claimsappended to the end of this specification contain one or more elementsdesignated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for[perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements areto be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claimscontaining elements designated in any other manner, it is intended thatsuch elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

1. An underwater vehicle control system, comprising: at least onecontroller comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the at least onecontroller is configured to: generate a virtual environmentrepresentative of a physical environment; output a virtual environmentsignal to a display of a user interface indicative of instructions todisplay a visual representation of the virtual environment; receive acontrol input signal indicative of a target virtual position, a targetvirtual orientation, or a combination thereof, of a target virtualunderwater vehicle within the virtual environment; output a targetvirtual underwater vehicle signal to the display of the user interfaceindicative of instructions to display a visual representation of thetarget virtual underwater vehicle at the target virtual position, thetarget virtual orientation, or the combination thereof, within thevirtual environment; and output a target physical underwater vehiclesignal to an underwater vehicle within the physical environmentindicative of instructions to move the underwater vehicle to a targetphysical position, a target physical orientation, or a combinationthereof, within the physical environment corresponding to the targetvirtual position, the target virtual orientation, or the combinationthereof, of the target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtualenvironment.
 2. The underwater vehicle control system of claim 1,wherein the at least one controller is configured to output a currentvirtual underwater vehicle signal to the display of the user interfaceindicative of instructions to display a visual representation of acurrent virtual underwater vehicle at a current virtual position, acurrent virtual orientation, or a combination thereof, within thevirtual environment corresponding to a current physical position, acurrent physical orientation, or a combination thereof, of theunderwater vehicle within the physical environment.
 3. The underwatervehicle control system of claim 2, wherein the at least one controlleris configured to instruct the display of the user interface to displaythe visual representation of the target virtual underwater vehicle inphantom lines, and the at least one controller is configured to instructthe display of the user interface to display the visual representationof the current virtual underwater vehicle in solid lines.
 4. Theunderwater vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein the at least onecontroller is configured to: determine whether the current physicalposition is substantially equal to the target physical position, thecurrent physical orientation is substantially equal to the targetphysical orientation, or a combination thereof; and output a positionmatch signal to the user interface indicative of instructions to providean indication that the current physical position is substantially equalto the target physical position, the current physical orientation issubstantially equal to the target physical orientation, or thecombination thereof, in response to determining that the currentphysical position is substantially equal to the target physicalposition, the current physical orientation is substantially equal to thetarget physical orientation, or the combination thereof.
 5. Theunderwater vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein the at least onecontroller is configured to: receive a physical image signal from theunderwater vehicle indicative of an image of the physical environment;and output a virtual image signal to the display of the user interfaceindicative of instructions to display the image of the physicalenvironment.
 6. The underwater vehicle control system of claim 5,wherein the at least one controller is configured to output the virtualimage signal only in response to the underwater vehicle being positionedsubstantially at the target physical position, the underwater vehiclebeing oriented substantially at the target physical orientation, or acombination thereof.
 7. The underwater vehicle control system of claim5, wherein the at least one controller is configured to: determinewhether the underwater vehicle is positioned substantially at the targetphysical position, the underwater vehicle is orientated substantially atthe target physical orientation, or a combination thereof, based on theimage of the physical environment; and output a position verificationsignal to the user interface indicative of instructions to provide anindication that the underwater vehicle is positioned substantially atthe target physical position, the underwater vehicle is orientatedsubstantially at the target physical orientation, or the combinationthereof, in response to determining that the underwater vehicle ispositioned substantially at the target physical position, the underwatervehicle is orientated substantially at the target physical orientation,or the combination thereof.
 8. The underwater vehicle control system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to receive anengagement signal, and the at least one controller is configured tooutput the target physical underwater vehicle signal only in response toreceiving the engagement signal.
 9. The underwater vehicle controlsystem of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured togenerate the virtual environment based on sensor data indicative of thephysical environment, at least one model of a structure within thephysical environment, or a combination thereof.
 10. The underwatervehicle control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controlleris to: generate a target virtual image based on the target virtualposition of the target virtual underwater vehicle, the target virtualorientation of the target virtual underwater vehicle, and the virtualenvironment; and output a target virtual image signal to the display ofthe user interface indicative of instructions to display the targetvirtual image.
 11. A method for controlling an underwater vehicle,comprising: generating, via at least one controller having a memory anda processor, a virtual environment representative of a physicalenvironment; outputting, via the at least one controller, a virtualenvironment signal to a display of a user interface indicative ofinstructions to display a visual representation of the virtualenvironment; receiving, via the at least one controller, a control inputsignal indicative of a target virtual position, a target virtualorientation, or a combination thereof, of a target virtual underwatervehicle within the virtual environment; outputting, via the at least onecontroller, a target virtual underwater vehicle signal to the display ofthe user interface indicative of instructions to display a visualrepresentation of the target virtual underwater vehicle at the targetvirtual position, the target virtual orientation, or the combinationthereof, within the virtual environment; and outputting, via the atleast one controller, a target physical underwater vehicle signal to anunderwater vehicle within the physical environment indicative ofinstructions to move the underwater vehicle to a target physicalposition, a target physical orientation, or a combination thereof,within the physical environment corresponding to the target virtualposition, the target virtual orientation, or the combination thereof, ofthe target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtual environment.12. The method of claim 11, comprising outputting, via the at least onecontroller, a current virtual underwater vehicle signal to the displayof the user interface indicative of instructions to display a visualrepresentation of a current virtual underwater vehicle at a currentvirtual position, a current virtual orientation, or a combinationthereof, within the virtual environment corresponding to a currentphysical position, a current physical orientation, or a combinationthereof, of the underwater vehicle within the physical environment. 13.The method of claim 11, comprising: receiving, via the at least onecontroller, a physical image signal from the underwater vehicleindicative of an image of the physical environment; and outputting, viathe at least one controller, a virtual image signal to the display ofthe user interface indicative of instructions to display the image ofthe physical environment.
 14. The method of claim 13, comprising:determining, via the at least one controller, whether the underwatervehicle is positioned substantially at the target physical position, theunderwater vehicle is orientated substantially at the target physicalorientation, or a combination thereof, based on the image of thephysical environment; and outputting, via the at least one controller, aposition verification signal to the user interface indicative ofinstructions to provide an indication that the underwater vehicle ispositioned substantially at the target physical position, the underwatervehicle is orientated substantially at the target physical orientation,or the combination thereof, in response to determining that theunderwater vehicle is positioned substantially at the target physicalposition, the underwater vehicle is orientated substantially at thetarget physical orientation, or the combination thereof.
 15. The methodof claim 11, comprising receiving, via the at least one controller, anengagement signal, wherein the target physical underwater vehicle signalis only output in response to receiving the engagement signal.
 16. Anunderwater vehicle control system, comprising: an underwater vehiclecontroller of an underwater vehicle, wherein the underwater vehiclecontroller comprising a memory and a processor; a user interfacecomprising a display; and a remote controller comprising a memory and aprocessor, wherein the remote controller is communicatively coupled tothe user interface and to the underwater vehicle controller, and theremote controller is configured to: generate a virtual environmentrepresentative of a physical environment; output a virtual environmentsignal to the display of the user interface indicative of instructionsto display a visual representation of the virtual environment; receive acontrol input signal from the user interface indicative of a targetvirtual position, a target virtual orientation, or a combinationthereof, of a target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtualenvironment; output a target virtual underwater vehicle signal to thedisplay of the user interface indicative of instructions to display avisual representation of the target virtual underwater vehicle at thetarget virtual position, the target virtual orientation, or thecombination thereof, within the virtual environment; and output a targetphysical underwater vehicle signal to the underwater vehicle controllerindicative of instructions to move the underwater vehicle to a targetphysical position, a target physical orientation, or a combinationthereof, within the physical environment corresponding to the targetvirtual position, the target virtual orientation, or the combinationthereof, of the target virtual underwater vehicle within the virtualenvironment; wherein the underwater vehicle controller is configured tooutput a control signal to a propulsion system of the underwater vehicleindicative of instructions to move the underwater vehicle to the targetphysical position, the target physical orientation, or the combinationthereof, within the physical environment.
 17. The underwater vehiclecontrol system of claim 16, wherein the remote controller is configuredto output a current virtual underwater vehicle signal to the display ofthe user interface indicative of instructions to display a visualrepresentation of a current virtual underwater vehicle at a currentvirtual position, a current virtual orientation, or a combinationthereof, within the virtual environment corresponding to a currentphysical position, a current physical orientation, or a combinationthereof, of the underwater vehicle within the physical environment. 18.The underwater vehicle control system of claim 16, wherein theunderwater vehicle controller is configured to output a physical imagesignal indicative of an image of the physical environment, the remotecontroller is configured to receive the physical image signal, and theremote controller is configured to output a virtual image signal to thedisplay of the user interface indicative of instructions to display theimage of the physical environment.
 19. The underwater vehicle controlsystem of claim 18, wherein the remote controller is configured tooutput the virtual image signal only in response to the underwatervehicle being positioned substantially at the target physical position,the underwater vehicle being oriented substantially at the targetphysical orientation, or a combination thereof.
 20. The underwatervehicle control system of claim 16, wherein the remote controller isconfigured to receive an engagement signal from the user interface, andthe remote controller is configured to output the target physicalunderwater vehicle signal only in response to receiving the engagementsignal.